In this day in age, corporations face new and increasing challenges. From fierce competition in the global market and decreasing corporate resources, to continuous changes in technology, and difficulties in retention of skilled people, these challenges can be overwhelming. Instead of cutting the training expenses, the corporations are moving towards viewing training as an investment. Hence, improving the corporate training ROI is critical. This can be done either by lowering the training costs and/or improving the return. While custom eLearning can have a higher initial cost, it can be well worth it given the advantages providing unique content can offer. Here, we will review some strategies to boost your corporate training ROI by employing custom eLearning solutions.
1. Teach your way, not everyone else’s
Off-the-shelf are cheap and fast. But they are also generic. Since every company invest largely in developing their own intellectual property, shouldn’t we also invest in teaching the professionals the specific way the company applies and develops generic concepts? Yes, we should. Custom eLearning solutions are specific, are tailored to your processes and policies, branding values, and your organization’s culture and context. Custom eLearning is proprietary, just as the company’s products, services, and processes.
How does it boost the ROI? It develops employees by teaching them the specific company processes, hence, the on-the-job learning curve is shorter.
2. Create high-impact learning
High-impact learning must be engaging, relevant and focused. Custom eLearning solutions can deliver the training needed for accelerated skills development, as well as for behavioral change. Custom eLearning can include scenarios, case studies, and organization specific information that can drive deliberate learning. You can also edit your content based on the feedback you receive from other learners either during the training or as they complete it. The continuous improvement loop, so important in any business, can be supported by including the suggestions and lessons learned from the feedback. This way, the learning becomes better for the staff who will complete the training in the future.
Custom eLearning can be a precursor to intensive instructor-led training, follow-up to in class learning, or self-paced, reference-based learning. All these modalities can connect and engage the learners with difficult subject matter, making an impact to the organization’s operations, effectiveness and efficiency, which, in turn, boost the ROI.
3. Include gamification and simulations
Custom eLearning solutions can include games and simulations, supporting the adoption of new systems, and technologies, while breaking down the employees’ resistance during the transition period. Custom simulations can also provide the learners with a safe environment to practice and fail without consequences. Custom eLearning solutions including simulations can reduce the time to autonomy, saving on additional training and mentoring.
4. Focus on onboarding
Most people decide their commitment to their job in the first few weeks of work. It is critical that your organization impacts the new employees in the first few days on the job.
Retaining your talented employees results in a decrease of recruitment cost due to turnover. This could be often accomplished by designing and developing engaging custom eLearning courses for the company’s onboarding program. This way, the new employees can understand the company’s uniqueness, the values, how employees are valued, and what will the company offer them as far as support and empowerment during their employment.
5. Create once, update when needed
Develop new custom eLearning solutions by repurposing existing content to be multi-use and multi-modal. This allows you to touch learners more than once with the same high-quality content, via multiple delivery methods, as they need it, over time.
Reusing content leverages the initial development investment for lower cost per use. Multiple exposures to content reinforce learning, which improves retention and performance, thereby improving return.
Microlearning software demos, for example, excerpted from longer WBTs, available as online help back on the job can save money and support continuous learning. In the same way, mobile learning can reduce training cost in the long run, by providing the learners with the content they need when they need it, hence making the learning more effective.
When aiming for long term behavior modification, accelerated skill development, and employee retention, consider custom eLearning solutions as a mean to achieve your goals.
